Just weeks after winning the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals to secure his 109th NHRA national event victory, Dan Fletcher, scored his second win of 2026 driving in Micro Strategies-backed Stock Eliminator Camaro (his Gators win was in Super Stock). Fletcher bested a tough field at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series opener at Darana Motorsports Park in North Carolina and we may see him running both NHRA and IHRA this season.
Fletcher qualified 10th in the field of 30 cars and delivered a stellar performance to take the IHRA crown. He used an .032 light to beat McNeil Freeman in round one, and David Barnes handed him a red light to easily win round two.
Round three saw Dewitt Pope leave first on Fletcher (.034 to .045) but Dewitt broke out at the stripe, while Fletcher was dead on his 6.92 (eight-mile) elapsed time prediction. In the semifinals Fletch was back on his game, drilling an .019 light to beat Kevin Anderson. That win set up the final between Fletcher and Joe Strickland.
Strickland launched first and was .030, but Dan produced a quick .007 light and ran 6.982 on his predicted 6.97 dial-in. Dan got to the stripe first, securing the win and the Iron Man trophy for team Micro Strategies.
“Being the first IHRA race of the year, we had 30 cars which made it a four-round race,” said Fletcher. “It’s less rounds than I’m used to, but winning is never easy. Everyone is so good these days that one misstep and you’re going home early. “I was there for the taking in round three against Pope, but he miscalculated at the stripe, and the Micro Strategies Camaro was there for me. If anything, that was the break I needed and I got focused after that.
“I had a solid reaction time in the finals, and I was confident in my dial-in. I predicted at 6.97 and was just about right on for the win. It’s great to start off the season with wins in both NHRA and now IHRA and in both of our Micro Strategies Camaros. I hope this is a trend that continues throughout the season,” he added.
Anthony Bongiovanni, president of Micro Strategies, and teammate of Dan Fletcher on track, had this to say. “Once again, Dan proved why he’s a three-time world champion. His preparation and execution are unrivaled. He brought home a win in NHRA competition and now has an IHRA national event win and we’re just getting the season started. We’ll soon be joining Dan on track with our Micro Strategies Cobra Jet Mustangs in both NHRA and IHRA action, and this is real motivation for me to get back to racing.”
